People: 'Godfather of Soul,' wife call end to marriage

Knight Ridder Newspapers

Published Thursday, July 24, 2003

Looks like James Brown wants to make perfectly clear he's on the market. The "Godfather of Soul" has announced his breakup from his wife, Tomi Rea Brown, with a full-page ad in the show-business trade newspaper Variety, reports The Associated Press.

The ad features a photo of the couple and their now-2-year-old son, James Joseph Brown II, smiling at Walt Disney World while posing with the costumed character Goofy.

Above the photo, a statement said that because of their "heavy, demanding tour schedule, they have decided to go their separate ways. There are no hard feelings, just a mutual show business decision made by both parties."

The couple, who married in December 2001, added that they decided to break up "with love and affection." Tomi Rea is one of Brown's background singers.

In a short article Tuesday, Variety reported: "A colleague of Brown's said the photo was chosen to emphasize the happy times of the relationship, rather than the hard times of a breakup." Representatives for the 70-year-old soul singer did not immediately return calls for comment.

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is looking to expand his horizons. The hip-hop/fashion mogul wants to purchase the New York Knicks, reports Billboard Online.

Diddy, a devout fan of the NBA team, proclaimed his interest during an appearance Wednesday morning on Howard Stern's syndicated radio show.

"I think I could do a good job," Combs said, admitting that his efforts to engage in talks with the team's current ownership have to this point been fruitless. "I'm publicly puttin' it out there, because they're not taking my calls. I think they need some new blood up in there I'm not saying let's get rid of the owners -- I'm saying put me down. Put me in the game. Because it's not going down right now."

His desire stems from the team's poor performance over the past several years. The Knicks finished the 2002-2003 season with a losing record. "I wanna make sure we're gonna win," Combs said.